In Search of the Perfect Large Event Space: How Hutton Brickyards Landed Broadway Fest and Other Festivals
By Craig Friedman
When Josh Saltman, an attorney at The Walt Disney Company, was looking for venues to host his ambitious passion project — a three-day outdoor Broadway music festival — he spent months driving around the Catskills and nearby areas in search of the perfect place. Think: sweeping landscapes, dramatic reveals, and a little Sound of Music magic. One day, he came upon Hutton Brickyards in Kingston when it was hosting the twice-yearly Field + Supply modern makers market, and he knew it checked all the boxes. His mental checklist mirrored what experienced event producers prioritize:
✓ Natural, open-air space
✓ Dramatic backdrop of the river
✓ Strong sense of history and place
✓ Several covered and uncovered spaces
✓ Ample, multiday parking
✓ Near other cities and hotels
✓ Food and drink served on the premises
✓ Infrastructure includes roads, telecommunications, and concert spaces
“I've seen bucolic places that would be a great festival, but there are logistical nightmares,” he said. “And then I've seen really great venues that would be perfect for a festival, but are in the middle of a city. And Hutton is the best of both worlds: It's the most beautiful site and a place that has a lot of what you need for something like this.”
Earlier this year, Saltman and team made it official: Hutton Brickyards will be the host venue for this “Broadway in the Hudson Valley” extravaganza — Broadway Fest — from August 14 to 16, 2026 (tickets went on sale in March).
The Festival’s arrival marks a major milestone for Hutton Brickyards. Landing a first-of-its-kind, three-day Broadway music festival is not just a cultural win for the Hudson Valley — it is a powerful validation of the property’s ability to support large, complex productions at scale.
For event planners, that validation is significant. With expansive indoor and outdoor spaces, robust infrastructure, and a setting that balances immersive natural beauty with logistical ease just 90 minutes from New York City, the former brick-making facility has emerged as a rare venue that delivers both operational muscle and a strong sense of place — a combination increasingly demanded by today’s ambitious festivals, corporate retreats, weddings, and large-scale gatherings.
What Is Broadway Fest — and Why Is It a Major Get for the Hudson Valley?
From ensemble performances to one-time-only musical moments, Broadway Fest is designed as an event that cannot be replicated elsewhere. Saltman explains: “It struck me that there was a way to combine the passion people have for Broadway with the immersive, destination experience of a music festival.”
The key to its success will be the uniqueness of the experience: “The holy grail of a festival is the thing that only happens once — if you weren’t there, you’ll never see it again,” he adds.
It’s not just a cultural moment for theatergoers; large-format live events like Broadway Fest are part of a growing national trend. The U.S. live events market is projected to grow from $466 billion in 2025 to $651 billion by 2032, according to Coherent Market Insights, reflecting the rising demand for immersive and experiential programming. There’s no business like show business.
For planners, this signals both audience appetite and opportunity. And Hutton Brickyards delivers that uniqueness while minimizing risk.
Why Is Location So Important for Big Events?
No one wants to drive more than two hours from Manhattan if they can help it. Nestled along the Hudson River in Kingston, Hutton Brickyards is 90 minutes north of New York City and near Woodstock, New Paltz, Poughkeepsie, and within easy reach of Philadelphia, Providence, and parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Hutton Brickyards, which has 43 rooms total between its riverside cabins and elegant mansion rooms, can accommodate only a fraction of the thousands of people expected to attend over three days. For huge events like Broadway Fest, the show’s talent will likely stay on-site while guests find options in nearby hotel clusters. This is actually a major layer of operational ease for planners.
“Within five or six miles, you probably have at least a thousand hotel rooms,” says Saltman. “Some of the other beautiful places I saw [when scouting areas] were just too remote.”
But it’s more than just conveniently located and picturesque. It’s also got a sense of place that cannot be replicated, according to JK McKnight, the founder of Art of Impact — the world’s leading festival consultancy.
“When you're designing festivals from the ground up,” he says, “you always want to find a place that has a unique sense of place, that has a story, that has folklore, that has characters and places that you can point to that make it special and that you want to activate. You want to share those stories, and you want to bring that property to life. And so, Hutton Brickyards is a very special place because it combines a really rare multitude of festival infrastructure conveniences and amenities that you just don't typically get in one place.”
Brad Ford, the founder of Field + Supply modern makers’ market (held twice yearly on Memorial Day and early October at Hutton Brickyards), notes, “It’s right there on the Hudson — so vast.”
How Important Is Indoor–Outdoor Flexibility for a Large-Event Venue?
East Coast weather is unpredictable — so flexibility matters. Hutton’s huge covered pavilions can hold thousands while still letting guests enjoy the open air. Butler Pavilion, the largest at 21,400 square feet, supports 4,000 standing, 3,500 seated in theater style, or 1,400 people for banquets. In other words, when the weather refuses to cooperate, the show can still go on — anything goes, but no one gets wet.
As Saltman notes, “It’s the only venue I’m aware of with a huge covered pavilion where you can still do something outdoors and keep three or four thousand people dry.”
What’s more, no expensive, time-consuming tents are needed — a crucial advantage for multi-day events. It saves time, hassles, and money to host at a space where the logistics won’t be a headache.
“It's really the future festival venue,” says McKnight. “I mean, the covered pavilion that can do 4,000 people — that's the same size as our Bonnaroo tents. The optics, from someone who's been doing this for decades, are pretty incredible. You don't find these types of venues, you really don't.”
Butler Pavilion
How Can a Single Event Venue Support Multiple Experiences at Once?
Hutton Brickyards offers multiple activation zones: North Lawn, the Pavilions (Butler and Lidgerwood), Hutton Hall, the Edgewood mansion grounds, the two restaurants, plus smaller late-night spaces. It’s more than enough for most event planners.
“You don't [often] see that tucked inside a gorgeous riverfront five-star lodge,” says McKnight. “I mean, you may go to a property and they have activation spaces, but this is a level way above that. This is almost like half the lodging side, and the other half is this incredible festival and event activation space. So that's really rare.”
“Even for this first year, we’re not going to use half of the spaces we could,” says Saltman. “We have to make choices.”
For planners, this means the venue is future-proof, ready to scale or diversify experiences as audience demand grows. It demonstrates long-term scalability. Planners can design programming that unfolds like a well-paced musical — multiple acts, shifting moods, and a finale that brings the house down.
Why Is Infrastructure Just as Important as Beauty in the Hudson Valley?
Logistics are crucial at large events. Behind every seamless performance is a small army of stagehands, electricians, and production crews — and festivals are no different.
“When the show ends, and 700 people want food and a drink at the same time, if you’re not ready for that, it’s bad,” says Saltman.
Hutton’s permanent facilities — from power access to bathrooms to food service areas — eliminate typical festival headaches, making it an attractive option for planners who prioritize execution. This differentiates Hutton from other pretty, but impractical, venues.
“More often than not, you are going to be building and constructing at least part of your venue,” says McKnight. “Honestly, they don't build just festival venues. There's arenas, there's concert venues, but concert venues aren't festival venues. I think that's one of the things people get mixed up. Festivals are brands, they're multifaceted, dynamic brands. Festivals are plural. So you have to build a lot of different things to accommodate that plurality.”
And for entertainment festivals, construction costs are often the second-largest line item — after talent.
How Much Parking and Transportation Does a Large Event Actually Need?
Hutton offers ample, multi-day parking — more than 900 spots. But for large festivals, shuttles are key. They offer access to the event for people who don’t drive cars and for folks who want to have a drink or three and enjoy the show. They also lighten traffic loads and reduce the need for parking places. This can be a common “friction point,” according to Field + Supply’s Ford.
Thoughtful transportation planning ensures the only drama guests experience is onstage.
“We’ll have at least two shuttle routes to connect hotels and the venue, making city visitors’ arrival seamless,” he adds. “Eventually, people start to catch on that they can come and go throughout the weekend — so maybe Friday's a better day to come than Saturday, or Sunday's not quite as busy as Saturday.”
What Are Some Other Large-Scale Events that Hutton Brickyards Has Hosted?
Hutton has a proven track record of hosting large events, whether you’re talking about the famous Bob Dylan concerts (6,500 people attended over two nights), Smorgasburg Upstate, The Marley brothers, or the twice-a-year Field + Supply, which routinely draws 8,000–10,000 attendees over the course of an entire weekend.
Together, these events demonstrate Hutton’s rare ability to scale — from intimate craftsmanship to full-scale production — without missing a beat and for very different audiences.
Why Is Hutton Brickyards an Ideal Event Venue — Not Just for BroadwayFest, but for What Comes Next?
“To me this is, this is, this is the venue of the future,” says McKnight. “It is that hybrid, indoor-outdoor model that combines everything you need in one place that's really hard to find.”
And its appeal isn’t just local. National travel magazines — like Condé Nast Traveler, The New York Times Travel, and AFAR — have spotlighted the property’s thoughtful blend of historic industrial character and natural beauty. These are key ingredients event planners seek when pitching “experience‑driven gatherings.”
As word of Hutton Brickyards’ strengths spreads, planners in other industries have voiced interest in hosting other types of events there, too. This includes traditional conventions (like auto shows) with panels and meetings, product-driven expos, movie and TV shoots, and art events like Art Basel and Frieze.
For planners chasing their own impossible dream — a venue that balances beauty, infrastructure, and scale — Hutton Brickyards delivers (dare we say it?) a finale worthy of a standing ovation.
BROADWAY FESTIVAL AUGUST 14 - 16
A first-of-its-kind, three-day outdoor Broadway music festival!
What Kind of Entertainment Will the Festival Have?
The Festival will include themed shows with your favorite Broadway talent singing songs you know and love them for, as well as songs you might not expect. There won’t be any full musicals performed (though the Rent 30th Anniversary Concert with original cast members will definitely be a highlight). Expect to see great solo shows, themed-shows and tributes to composers you love, some of those composers in the flesh performing with members of our lineup, and each night culminating in a “Big Show” with an ensemble cast singing from the American Songbook and beyond, guaranteed to bring back Broadway memories and send you home humming.
Scheduled performers include Audra McDonald, Kelli O’Hara, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Christopher Jackson, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Denée Benton, Jason Robert Brown, Norbert Leo Butz, Jenn Colella, Mandy Gonzalez, James Monroe Iglehart, Tom Kitt, Eva Noblezada, Ben Levi Ross, Talia Suskauer, Adrienne Warren and Joy Woods. A highlight of the weekend will be a special concert honoring the 30th anniversary of Rent, featuring original cast members and celebrating a show that helped redefine modern musical theater.
The inaugural event will be directed by Jerry Mitchell and D.B. Bonds, with a special tribute to the theatre nonprofit Broadway Cares, and produced by Josh Saltman’s A Weekend in the Country alongside David B. Schwartz.
What Else Will be Available at the Festival?
In addition to musical performances, the Festival will boast all the elements of a great music festival, including a wide variety of enticing local food and beverage options and a curated marketplace of Hudson Valley artisans, makers, and merchants. And there will be experiences that will allow festival guests to unleash their inner performer, whether at a late-night campfire sing-along (cue the s’mores), our own Club Cumming on the Hudson piano bar experience, Broadway-themed comedy improv with the legendary Don't Quit Your Night Job, or a Broadway Rave dance party. Costume events, a “stage door” signing tent, maybe even a hike or dance class led by one of our talented performers — they’re working on all of it.
Where Do You Buy Passes? How Much Will Passes Cost?
All passes will be for the entire, three-day event, and there will be a range of passes from general admission to VIP experiences. Passes begin at $375 (not including taxes and service fees). More more info and tickets, see our Broadway Theatre Events Page.
